Is Your Childs Education Really Serving Them?

Consider today’s educational system which was established in the 1920s. It has been slow to evolve only just now morphing into a system that is trying to catch up with the fast-changing world. Reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic are being expanded to include computers, calculators, and the internet. Additionally, social and emotional intelligence are at least as important as hard academics, and arguably more important. Leadership, cooperation, problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration are the traits that we want to see in our kids as they graduate and go on to higher education and eventually into their work lives. Creativity, imagination, thinking outside the box rather than fitting one's ideas into a prescribed box is the wave of the future. 

Yet I ask, is today’s traditional education system meeting these needs? Is this system meeting the needs of the individual child? Recognizing and fostering their innate talents and abilities or is it trying to force the child into the one size fits all box of traditional education, a system that does not fit even close to all.

I have recently been introduced to other forms of education which I hope become mainstream instead of the alternative. Montessori is one system that has been around for more than 100 years. There is another program called Acton Academy and a third system called CASEL - Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotion Learning. And I'm sure there are more. in one form or another, these alternatives, non-mainstream educational systems focus on what's really important: critical thinking, emotional intelligence, meeting each child at their individual level, and adapting the teaching style to meet the learning styles and abilities of the child. This feels so promising.

And what is the goal of educating our children? To encourage them to pursue a field or area of interest that fits their inner nature and quenches their thirst for learning? Or to pursue a job that meets the expectations of their family, society, and classmates even if it isn’t a good fit for them and their ultimate happiness? Is education meant to mold our kids into what society expects and wants of them, or is it meant to encourage their unique gifts and attributes to contribute to society in a way that works best.

Here are links to my latest podcast where I talk about different forms of education and learning styles with my guest Alison Van Keuren who has experience with homeschooling, traditional schooling, and Montessori schooling.

 Apple Podcasts: Alison Van Keuren - Are We Really Educating Our Kids?  

Julie Hatch Podcast with guest Alison Van Keuren: Are we Really Educating Our kids?